#2 IPKKND FF:Tearing Ourselves Apart Parts 27-29:) - Page 16

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She closed her eyes, taking in everything around her, and told herself that no matter what happened she would always hold on to this moment. Hold on to the way she was feeling right now.

"Khushi?" he breathed against her ear when he got no response to the words that had once felt so hard to say.

"Mmm?" she silently hummed back, before letting her weight drop into his arms, resting against his neck.

He thought she was hugging him until he felt the coldness of her cheek against his neck "Khushi? Khushi are you allright?" he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back to see that her eyes were closed, blood creeping through her purple sweater, dripping below onto the white show beneath them.

He tried to shake her eyes open, only to find that the only thing he got out of that was his own heart starting to pace from fear. He effortlessly lifted her up and carried her back through the snow into the warm hospital halls, with each step increasing the wave of panic that hit him. He was afraid he would hurt her when he gently laid her back down on her bed and ran to get the doctor.

"Mr Raizada, I told you, bed rest in necessary, at least to let the wound heal initially."

Arnav only nodded as the doctor continued to speak, after having spent an entire night thinking she was going to die, nothing seemed as bad anymore, but the thought of anything hurting her, hurt him more.

She awoke late in the afternoon, having slept through most of the morning as the nurses had redone a few of her stitches. He was sitting in a hard wooden chair crept up close to her bed, with his eyes closed from exhaustion, breathing heavily, yet peacefully.

She watched him for a while before leaning up and wincing from the pain. She slowly lifted her hand to his face, pondered for only a moment, and started tracing his skin lightly across his jaw, down his nose and along his lips. He was real, every part of him. All the emotion, all the care, all the love. It was real, and it was right here in front of her.

"What are you doing?" he whispered cynically keeping his eyes closed, causing her to gasp audibly.

She waited for him to open his eyes, not knowing what to say.

"Tired?" she asked, watching his sleepy eyes blink. She knew he had probably not slept all night.

He refused to answer her question "You should rest" he said, turning over slightly in his chair and closing his eyes again.

She reached out for his hand, and pulled at him.

"Khushi.." he started.

"Shhh!" she harshly replied, pulling him out of his chair and onto the bed with her.

"What are you do.." he started again, only to find himself being shushed by her angry glare.

She pushed down slightly on his shoulder, making him lie down next to her, resisting his protests she turned around and shut the blinds on the window, throwing the room into darkness, before lying down closely next to him on the single bed.

"You never thanked me" she whispered after a while.

Arnav had been watching her face from close, and smiled when she had spoken.

"For what?" he curiously asked.

"For saving your life."

"You? Saving my life?" he sarcastically asked.

"Yes, if I hadn't of come exactly at the right time, who knows what would have happened to you. So I'm pretty much your hero" she continued, eyes closed, close to sleep.

Arnav smiled, and put his arm around her, snugly fitting into the small bed.

Without whispering another word, he snuggled into her hair and fell asleep within seconds.

It had been four days since then. Arnav had agitated Khushi close to madness, not allowing her to move for the smallest of tasks. He would help her sit up, lie down, stand up, walk, move, breathe, everything. She had begged him to take her out, atleast let her leave the room for a bit, but he was adamant on letting her get bed- rest, nothing more, nothing less.

He walked in to the room with a cup of cold water she had asked for after having complained that the water from the jug in the room was too warm for her liking, to find it empty for the second time.

He sighed heavily, not being as worried as the first time and put the glass down on the table to his right.

He had walked in two days ago to find Khushi trying to sneakily climb out of bed after having sent him to get her something sweet to eat. He followed what he knew to be her steps outside in to the cold and along the path that led down to the frozen lake.

She was standing with her back towards him, looking out into the horizon at the setting sun, not noticing when he crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, being careful to not hurt her.

She smiled at his touch, hoping to avoid any thing harsh he probably had to throw at her in his anger. She knew she probably shouldn't always stand out in the snow but it wasn't her fault that the room she was staying in was surrounded by it on all four sides.

"We can go home tomorrow" he whispered into her ear, as though having read her thoughts.

She turned around in his arms, gleaming "Really?"

"I spoke to the doctor, he said you are good to go" he smiled at her happiness, not that he hadn't seen alot of it lately, all she seemed to do these days was smile, even when she was annoyed to the edge of sanity, he could tell she was happy, and that made him happy in return.

One Last Tearing Ourselves Apart Song 😊

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB9RhWnk4WE[/YOUTUBE]

She held his hands in hers, twirling her fingers in the spaces between his and turned around to face the setting sun along with him, resting her head lightly on his shoulder.

"You scared me, you know that?" he said, still looking straight ahead.

Khushi looked up at him, watching as she recognised a hint of pain flash across his handsome face.

"There was a moment back there, near the lake, when I thought you had left, and I.." his voice choked up and he looked down, trying his hardest to not remember those moments between watching her hand slip away from him and seeing it move later on.

Khushi took a few steps back, still holding on to his hand and pulled him back along with her, she stopped after a few moments and rounded up to face him, waiting for him to look back up at her, tapping her feet loudly against the snow in impatience.

"Arnav ji!?" she exclaimed, after he seemed lost in thought "look, what happened was in the past, and there is a lot that has happened between us. Believe me when I say that what happened a few days ago was not a bad moment for you, it isn't even close to the worst you have done. Remember when you said I would do anything for money? And when you ripped my scarf with your car, and then when you left me in the middle of the road? That was bad. And that time you dropped me from your office window, I could have died, well, maybe not died, but something tells me you didn't know those cardboard boxes were there, and when we first met, that was horrible, when you ripped m.."

The angry glare that Arnav gave her made her swallow her last words, maybe she had been babbling again, Arnav didn't need reminding of all the wrong he had done.

At least he was looking at her again.

"I love you" she blurted, flushing a dark shade of auburn as she looked up to meet his eyes "too" she added in a rush, to remind him that he had done it first.

Arnav stood shocked for a while, before letting a small smile spread across his face.

"Is this your favourite place?" he asked, unsure of what else to say.

Khushi blushed deeper as she knew they were standing in the exact spot he had whispered those words to her at. She had deliberately moved back so that they would be. Closing the gap between them with a small step she crept up close to him and cautiously placed her hand over his chest, where she could feel his rapidly beating heart, giving away the pretence formed by his cool and calm demeanor.

"No" she paused, pressing slightly against his chest "this is" she whispered, indicating his beating heart.

"How did this happen?" he asked faintly as it began to snow.

"When it gets cold enough, the water turns to ice and then.." she stopped as Arnavs ever warm fingers brushed her lips silent.

She jokingly pressed her cold fingers to his nose "I know you meant us" she teased, laughing at his relentless expression.

He caressed her cheek as she began to shiver "Are you okay to stand?" he asked, worried, checking her up and down for any signs of pain.

"I'm fine, better than fine actually."

He stood staring at her bright eyes, glowing in the light snow that surrounded them, at a stark contrast to the darkening sky around them. He lightly brushed away a few snowflakes that landed on her cheeks as she began to sniff.

"I don't want to go home" Arnav confessed, prompting Khushi to look up at him curiously, the heat from his body radiating towards her and warming her up instantly.

He smiled as he whisked her off her feet and held her close to him, leaving a faint but lingering kiss at the edge of her lips.

"There is this little cottage not too far from here, its dark and grimy, and there are no sockets to charge your phone.."

Khushi laughed, holding on to the man she loved around his neck as he turned her around in the air, her soft hair caressing his face as it flew around in the light wind, snowflakes making the moment just that little bit more beautiful.

She threw her head back, closed her eyes and stretched her arms out so it felt like she was flying, the voice of both their laughter was left ringing through the air. The sound, something so temporary against the feeling of permanence that emanated between them.

Arnav looked at a smiling Khushi as she felt the individual snowflakes land across her outstretched arms.

They say each snowflake is different. Different in the way it looks, and forms and feels. Different in the way it catches the light and remains etched in memories. Different in the way it falls and makes its way down to the grounds to join the endless banks of ones that have fallen before, different, yet somehow all so devastatingly similar, each so beautiful in its own respect. Each one worth dying for.

Much like the endless moments they spent following that day, lost in eachothers arms...

And that is it everyone! Thank you so much for the journey 😆! It has been an awesome ride, it has made me feel warm and fuzzy inside to read all of your kind words over the past few weeks😳. Love you all for your support and time. I will put up proper Acknowledgements later on, I should go to sleep for now!

I urge anyone who has been a silent reader to comment or drop by a like at least, it is the last take and I would love to hear at least once what you have thought of the story, it would be lovely to hear from all of you.

Keep smiling everyone : LOVE HAYLES 😳

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS